After 28 years of being Lancaster County's Game Warden, Greg Graham says this job stays fresh year after year.
“There is no such thing as a typical day. It is generally different than the day before, simply because as a response officer we respond to calls that come in during the day or whatever my patrol happens to encounter,” said Greg Graham, the Lancaster County Game Warden.
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Abc27 tagged along to see how he rolled. Graham patrols over three hundred square miles of beautiful Lancaster County. It's not just his job or his passion, it's his life.
“People don't necessarily become Game Wardens because they like cold weather, rotten conditions, snow, rain, freezing temperatures, hundred-degree temperatures, ticks, mosquitoes,” Greg Graham said.
They do it to be outdoors. Graham says it gives him important chances to stop and reflect.
“I like the solitude sometimes and it's nice to have people along and share but there are times I do like the solitude,” Graham said.
With license sales up this year and more hunters across PA since the beginning of the pandemic-- violations are up, too. Graham says this year has been busier than usual. But for those who dread a visit from a warden, Graham says to remember, it won't always end in a fine, sometimes it's just a learning experience.
"We can be very effective merely by issuing a warning and educating the person on the reason why the law is in place,” Graham said.
Hunters are major economic drivers for Pennsylvania, and on top of bringing in lots of money, they also play an important role in wildlife conservation.
“Hunters a lot of them don't even understand that what they're doing by harvesting an overpopulation of white-tailed deer is ensuring the viability for white-tailed deer to remain part of the landscape,” Graham added.
That’s why for Graham, it's all worth it.
“We care about wildlife. We care about wildlife habitat and we care about that it's around for generations that follow us,” he added.
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